While I would have appreciated a better headline and text underneath the picture, I can't complain. I got paid to write something so at least I have a counter next time someone asks me what I plan to do with my English degree. This week I am interviewing a Danish singer and going to an opera. All for 30 bucks a pop. Considering I am on a bread and rice diet because I have no money I'm not going to complain. I would probably write just for a cheeseburger.
Full text below:
Within the last three years, Adam Young has gone from living at home with his parents to touring the world. His rise to prominence began, as so many other modern-day success stories have, on the social networks and streaming media sites of the internet. Since he first started recording music and putting it on his MySpace page, Young's solo project Owl City has tallied over 17 million page views, with some of his songs having been listened to over 26 million times. It's important to note that creating a successful website for your music doesn't always equate with tangible returns. And it's often been observed that the process of going viral can be the death knell for a young artist's career. Musicians such as the Black Kids have seen their internet success met with financial distraught. For Owl City, however, the attention has only continued to grow.
The Minnesota-born singer began his musical career in 2007 while his parents were out of town. He took advantage of the opportunity, and his troubles with insomnia, and spent the nights writing music. From these sessions came his first hit song "Hello Seattle". He self-released an EP and a full-length album that gained Young a massive following on MySpace. His viral success led to his signing with Universal Republic in early 2009. Since then, his single “Fireflies” has taken the number-one spot on music charts all over the world, reaching from his home country to the United Kingdom and even Denmark.
Given that the majority of Young's fans were initially drawn to him through links and embeds on the internet, it's not surprising that he has also picked up his share of mainstream critics, some more histrionic than others. Rolling Stones describe his music as "serious mush, like an amorous e-mail you'll regret in the morning" while the Guardian criticizes Young as having a "wide-eyed ingenue persona". Ironically both fans and foes of Owl City tend to agree that Young's lyrics can be described as lighthearted, without much substance, and even silly. But no matter the volume or frequency of his haters' comments, it seems clear that people have taken a shine to this style, in certain sets leading to Owl City's overwhelming popularity. A stand-out amongst the rest of Young's creative output, “Vanilla Twilight” works best as a showcase for his characteristic blithesome lyrics. The lyrics may lack the grace of Shakespeare's sonnets, but their subject matter, Young's high school love who moved away, is instantly identifiable and relatable by Owl City’s audience and fans. His simplistic lyrics have a striking quality to them that lulls you into a place where you don't happen to care. It's an odd harmony that draws you in against better judgment. Young attributes his musical influences to disco music and European electronic artists such as Dutch trance DJ Armin van Buuren and Scottish IDM group Boards of Canada. Also prominent is his vocal styling, eerily reminiscent of Ben Gibbard’s singing with dormant side project The Postal Service. The product of these influences can be seen in songs like Owl City's chart-topping single “Fireflies.”
Young's homemade combination of smooth music and easy lyrics has drawn in audiences worldwide. Owl City is the musical equivalent of "The Goonies" or "Predator," a campy movie you watch every time it is on television even though you have seen it more times than you can count. The plot stays the same, but the enjoyment you take from it doesn't lessen over time. Owl City's music is a throwback to the era where people gathered around and listened to music because they wanted to dance and enjoy themselves, not listen to lead singers preach awareness of various causes or belt out impassioned songs which only they themselves considered meaningful in any way. Owl City's music is straightforward and without nuance, it speaks a simpler and more universal language, and that's exactly why it has taken the world by storm.
